Norse Hill

Norse Hill (US$3,500/$4,000 weekly low/high season) was built by Iris and Reidar Johanssen as their winter home. The Johanssens lived amazing lives, jumping across the globe before their time in Hong Kong during the 1930s. The Norwegian-style chalet is accordingly grand and filled with art and antiques from China. Norse Hill is a steadfast, gorgeous, stately structure, with an industrial-size kitchen, three bedrooms, and a loving and dedicated staff. The master bedroom and the slightly less opulent room on the other end of the chateau both have large tiled bathrooms and oversized mirrors. Verandas look out over the pool and gardens and, beyond that, the wide-open sea. All the amenities are there, including DSL. The property itself is arguably the best endowed in Port Antonio. Hectares of botanical gardens sit on top of a hill looking over San San Bay. An enormous ficus tree shades the best seat in town, a real contender against Henry Morgan’s Lookout, which later became Noel Coward’s Firefly. The gardens have extensive pathways through lush flowerbeds.